Today’s Meditation

From The Upper Room The World’s Most Widely Read Daily Devotional Guide

Read Romans 7:14-8:2

There is ... now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

-Romans 8:12 (NRSV)

I still remember the desperate, vulnerable look in Frank’s eyes when I opened his door that Sunday. I expected to see my single, quadriplegic friend dressed and ready to accompany me to church; instead, I was confronted with a horrible sight. Frank’s motionless body lay rigid and sweaty under his sheet. A full urine bag and an empty water cup with a straw near his mouth meant only one thing -- no helper had come to care for him! A worker’s scheduling mistake had left Frank alone and ignored for hours, incapable of doing even one simple thing for himself. With parched mouth, he had cried out for help. While no human ear heard him, God had! He expressed gratitude and relief as I eagerly rushed to his aid, completely overwhelmed with compassion.

Frank’s situation was a vivid reminder of my spiritual dependence on God. I am desperately in need of a savior for me to do what I cannot do for myself: cleanse me of sin. Yet God’s boundless love and immeasurable compassion toward each of us reach far beyond what I felt for Frank that day. God faithfully delivers us even when others fail.

Jocelyn Davis Rezek

(North Carolina, USA)

Prayer:
Thank you, Savior, for rescuing the needy, those alone, and those without help from others. Amen.

Thought of the Day:
The love of Christ does for us what we could never do for ourselves.